Restricting communication over an encrypted network connection to internet domains that share common ip addresses and shared ssl certificates

ABSTRACT

An apparatus prevents communication by a client device to a domain that cannot be uniquely identified by relocating the DNS mapping of the domain to a destination IP Address that is uniquely identifiable and that represents a location of an apparatus that provides a data path to the domain.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to computers and, more particularly, tomonitoring and blocking access by a computer to particular websites.

BACKGROUND

Hardware based web filters are appliances that can be installed on anetwork inside a firewall to provide web filtering in a centralizedplace. The appliances also do not require the use of software to beinstalled on computers on the network making the appliances easier toconfigure and manage, especially in large environments.

Web filters not only block certain content from reaching a computer onthe network, but the Web filters also log and generate reports based onthe activity on the network. The activity report typically contains thecomputer or user activity including violations to the filtering policy.Web filtering reports for policy violations show web site activity aswell as violating activity.

Web filters that block access for particular users or groups of userscannot block access to a domain that shares at least one IP address withanother domain and that shares a certificate with another domain.

The Internet domain cannot be uniquely identified when the Internetdomain has at least one IP address that is shared with another Internetdomain and the Internet domain has a SSL certificate that is shared withanother Internet domain. For example, the domain mail.google.com cannotbe uniquely identified because mail.google.com shares a number of IPaddresses with www.youtube.com and mail.google.com shares an SSLcertificate having a domain name of ‘*.google.com’ with www.youtube.com.If either www.youtube.com and mail.google.com did not share at least oneIP address or did not share a SSL certificate, then the IP address ofmail.google.com could be uniquely identified and then mail.google.comcould be blocked as required.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a method of a filter appliance includes receiving acommunication from an electronic device, the communication including areference to a network domain that cannot be uniquely identified andremapping the network domain to an IP address having a unique identityof the network domain, wherein the IP address is not a publicly known IPaddress of the network domain.

In another aspect, an apparatus prevents communication by a clientdevice to a domain that cannot be uniquely identified by relocating theDNS mapping of the domain to a destination IP Address that is uniquelyidentifiable and that represents a location of an apparatus thatprovides a data path to the domain.

In yet another aspect, a method includes receiving from a client devicea DNS Query for an Internet domain name that cannot be uniquelyidentified, determining whether or not Internet domain name isdesignated as a remapped domain name, sending to the client device aspoofed destination IP address in response to the DNS Query, receivingfrom the client device a nonsecure HTTP request transaction using thespoofed destination IP address, determining whether or not the nonsecureHTTP request is blocked for access by the client device, managing accessto the Internet domain name that cannot be uniquely identified byreplacing the destination IP address of the nonsecure HTTP request withan IP address than can be uniquely identified, when the nonsecure HTTPrequest for access to the Internet domain name is not blocked, sending ablocked access message to the client device, when the nonsecure HTTPrequest for access to the Internet domain name is blocked.

In a further aspect, a method of managing access to an Internet domainname that cannot be uniquely identified by an apparatus includesreceiving a nonsecure HTTP request of a client device, the HTTP requesthaving a spoofed destination IP address and a source IP address,creating a session that associates the client device to the HTTPrequest, changing the destination address in the HTTP request to a DNSmapped IP address of the Internet domain name, for each packet in theHTTP request, yielding a changed HTTP request, changing the source IPaddress in the HTTP request from a client IP address to an IP address ofa Relay Server, for each packet in the HTTP request, yielding thechanged HTTP request, sending to a domain server that is associated withthe Internet domain name, each packet in the changed HTTP request,receiving from the domain server a response to the changed HTTP request,associating the response to client device in reference to the session,the response having a destination IP address and source IP address,changing the destination IP address in the response to the spoofeddestination IP address, yielding a changed response, changing the sourceIP address in the response to the client IP address, yielding thechanged response, and forwarding the changed response to the clientdevice.

Systems, clients, servers, methods, and computer-readable media ofvarying scope are described herein. In addition to the aspects andadvantages described in this summary, further aspects and advantageswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and by reading thedetailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system that manages access to a networkdomain that cannot be uniquely identified, according to animplementation;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method that manages access to a networkdomain that cannot be uniquely identified, according to animplementation;

FIG. 3-4 is a flowchart of a method that manages access to a networkdomain that cannot be uniquely identified by replacing the networkdomain that cannot be uniquely identified with an identity than can beuniquely identified, according to an implementation;

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram of a technique to resolve domain names thatcannot be uniquely identified to the extent that traffic associated withthe domain can be filtered for a particular user device, according to animplementation;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a general computer environment 600,according to an implementation; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a mobile device, according to animplementation.

For purposes of clarity and brevity, like elements and components willbear the same designations and numbering throughout the Figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown byway of illustration specific implementations which can be practiced. Theimplementations are described in sufficient detail to enable thoseskilled in the art to practice the implementations, and it is to beunderstood that other implementations can be utilized and that logical,mechanical, electrical and other changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the implementations. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,where considered appropriate, reference numerals can be repeated amongthe figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Inaddition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the implementations described herein. However,it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that theimplementations described herein can be practiced without the specificdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures andcomponents have not been described in detail so as not to obscure theimplementations described herein. Also, the description is not to beconsidered as limiting the scope of the implementations describedherein.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 that manages access to anetwork domain that cannot be uniquely identified, according to animplementation.

System 100 includes a client electronic device 102 that is operable toconnect to a network, such as the Internet 104. Examples of theelectronic device 102 include the computation resource 602 in FIG. 6(otherwise known as a computer) and the mobile device 700 in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 1, a client device or other user device 110 (e.g. the electronicdevice 110 in FIG. 1, the computer 602 in FIG. 6 or the mobile device700 in FIG. 7) transmits to a switch 115 a domain name system (DNS)query for an Internet domain that cannot be uniquely identified. A DNSQuery 112 is a request for the IP address of an Internet domain. TheInternet domain cannot be uniquely identified because the Internetdomain has at least one IP address that is shared with another Internetdomain and the Internet domain has a SSL certificate that is shared withanother Internet domain. For example, the domain mail.google.com cannotbe uniquely identified because mail.google.com and www.youtube.com sharea number of IP addresses in the range of 74.125.20.1-74.125.20.3 andmail.google.com and www.youtube.com share an SSL certificate having adomain name of ‘*.google.com’. The DNS Query 112 is defined in RFC 1035published in November 1987 by the Internet Engineering Task Force at doAssociation Management Solutions, LLC (AMS), 48377 Fremont Blvd., Suite117, Fremont, Calif. 94538.

The Switch 115 forwards the DNS Query 112 to a Filter Appliance 125. TheFilter Appliance 125 provides a Response 127 having unique identity ofthe Internet domain in the DNS Query 112 by remapping the network domainto an IP address that is different than the assigned IP address of theInternet domain. In some implementations, the IP address that isdifferent than the publicly known IP address of the Internet networkdomain is outside the local subnet of the user device 110. In someembodiments, the IP address that is different than the publicly known IPaddress of the network domain is a non-local controlled IP address. Thenon-local controlled IP address comprises an IP address that isnon-local to the user device 110. For example, the Filter Appliance 125sends a Response 127 to the DNS Query 112 that includes an IP address ofa Relay Server 135 such as 212.33.45.10 to the user device 110. TheRelay Server 135 can be located anywhere in the system 100, such asconnected to the Internet, located in the Filter Appliance 125 orlocated on the local subnet as the user device 110. One example of thenon-local controlled IP address is the spoofed IP address disclosed inmethod 200 in FIG. 2 and method 300 in FIG. 3-4. In someimplementations, the Filter Appliance 125 generates the IP address thatis different than the publicly known IP address of the network domain inreference to an Internal DNS Server 120. The Internal DNS Server 120 isaccessible only within the local subnet.

The user device 110 receives the non-local controlled IP address andassociates the non-local controlled IP address with the domain. Forexample, the user device 110 receives the 212.33.45.10 IP address andassociates the IP address 212.33.45.10 with the domain‘mail.google.com’. Thereafter, the user device 110 transmits a SSL 127request that includes the non-local controlled IP address. For example,the user device 110 transmits the SSL Request 127 that includes the212.33.45.10 IP address.

The Filter Appliance 125 receives the SSL Request 127 that includes thenon-local controlled IP address and compares the 212.33.45.10 IP addressto a database of blocked IP addresses for the user device 110. If the212.33.45.10 IP address is not blocked for the user 110, the filteringdevice 125 transmits the SSL Request 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10IP address to the Relay Server 135. For example, Filter Appliance 125receives the SSL Request 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10 IP addressand compares the 212.33.45.10 IP address to a database of blocked IPaddresses for the user device 110. If the 212.33.45.10 IP address is notblocked for the user 110, the filtering device 125 transmits the SSLRequest 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10 IP address to the RelayServer 135.

The Relay Server 135 receives the SSL Request 127 that includes thenon-local controlled IP address, changes the non-local controlled IPaddress in the SSL Request 127 to a public IP address of the domain, andpasses the SSL Request 138 that includes the public IP address of thedomain server 140 to the domain server 150. For example, the RelayServer 135 receives the SSL Request 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10IP address and passes the SSL Request 138 that includes IP address74.125.20.1 to the domain server 150.

The domain server 150 receives the SSL Request 138 that includes publicIP address of the domain server 140 and responds to the SSL Request 138.For example, the domain server 150 receives the SSL Request 138 thatincludes the 74.125.20.1 IP address and responds to the SSL Request 138address. The Response 155 by the Domain Server 150 has a Source IPaddress of the public IP address of the domain server, such as74.125.20.1.

The Relay Server 135 receives the response 155 and replaces the SourceIP address in the response from the Domain Server 150 IP address such as74.125.20.1, to the IP address that is different than the publicly knownIP address of the Internet network domain, such as 212.33.45.10 andpasses the modified Response 160 to the user device 110 through theFirewall 130, the Filter Appliance 125 and the Switch 115.

The user device 110 receives the response 160.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method 200 that manages access to a networkdomain that cannot be uniquely identified, according to animplementation.

In method 200, the client device 110 sends the DNS Query 112 for‘youtube.com’ or another Internet domain that cannot be uniquelyidentified, at block 202. The DNS Query 112 includes the plain text‘youtube.com’ in the Destination IP Address field in the IP packetheader of the DNS Query 112. The purpose of the DNS Query 112 is todetermine the IP address of the domain ‘youtube.com’ for use insubsequent TCP commands to the domain ‘youtube.com’. In sending the DNSQuery 112 for ‘youtube.com’, the conventional response to client device100 to the DNS Query 112 is a publicly mapped IP address for‘youtube.com’.

In method 200, the Filter Appliance 125 intercepts the DNS Query 112. Inresponse the Filter Appliance 125 inspects the plain text representationof the Destination IP Address in the IP packet header of the DNS Query112 and the Filter Appliance 125 at block 204 determines whether or not‘youtube.com’ is designated as a remapped domain name. Domain names aredesignated as remapped by the Filter Appliance 125 because of ambiguityin the domain name when the domain name has at least one IP address thatis shared with another domain name in the external DNS server 145 andwhen the domain has a SSL certificate that is shared with anotherdomain.

When the Filter Appliance 125 determines that ‘youtube.com’ is notdesignated as a remapped domain name at block 204, the Filter Appliance125 forwards the DNS Query 112 for ‘youtube.com’ to the DNS Server 145.The DNS Server 145 receives from the Filter Appliance 125 the DNS Query112 for ‘youtube.com’ at block 206, and the Filter Appliance 125processes the DNS Query 112 without any restrictions that are describedin actions 210-234 of method 200 in FIG. 2 and in method 300 in FIG. 3-4in which the DNS Server 145 sends determines or identifies the DNSmapped IP address of ‘youtube.com’ to the client device 110 in responseto the DNS Query 112 for ‘youtube.com’ 208.

When the Filter Appliance 125 at block 204 determines that ‘youtube.com’is designated as a remapped domain name, the Filter Appliance 125 sendsa spoofed destination IP address in response to the DNS Query 112 for‘youtube.com’ 210.

In some implementations, the spoofed destination IP address is an IPaddress associated with the Relay Server 135. As a result, when the IPaddress that associated with the Relay Server 135 is used as adestination IP address in a TCP or UDP packet(s), the packet(s) aredelivered to the Relay Server 135.

Thereafter, the Client device 110 receives the spoofed destination IPaddress in response to the DNS Query 112 for ‘youtube.com’, at block212.

In some implementations, the Client device 110 initiates a nonsecureHTTP transaction (items 214-222 in method 200 in FIG. 2) and/or theClient device 110 initiates a secure HTTPS transaction (items 224-234 inmethod 200 in FIG. 2). HTTP is defined in RFC 2616 published in June1999 by the Internet Engineering Task Force at c/o AssociationManagement Solutions, LLC (AMS), 48377 Fremont Blvd., Suite 117,Fremont, Calif. 94538.

In the nonsecure http transaction, the Client device 110 sends anonsecure HTTP client device request for ‘youtube.com’ using the spoofeddestination IP address, at block 214. The nonsecure HTTP client devicerequest for ‘youtube.com’ that uses the spoofed destination IP addresshas a destination IP address in the IP packet header that is set to thespoofed destination IP address that was received from the FilterAppliance 125 in response to the DNS Query 112 for ‘youtube.com. As aresult, the nonsecure HTTP client device request for ‘youtube.com’ isdirected to the spoofed destination IP address and the nonsecure HTTPclient device request for ‘youtube.com’ is not directed to the DNSmapped IP address for ‘youtube.com’. Thereafter, the Filter Appliance125 determines whether or not the nonsecure HTTP client device requestfor ‘youtube.com’ is blocked for access by the Client device 110, atblock 216. The blocked access is determined or not by the FilterAppliance 125 by searching a database or other list of blocked domainsfor an indication or representation that the domain ‘youtube.com’ isblocked for access by the Client device 110. When the Filter Appliance125 determines that the nonsecure HTTP client device request for accessto domain ‘youtube.com’ is not blocked at block 216, method 300 in FIG.3-4 is performed at block 218. When the Filter Appliance 125 determinesthat the nonsecure HTTP client device 110 requests for access to domain‘youtube.com’ is blocked at 216, the Filter Appliance 125 sends ablocked access message to the client device 110 at block 220, andsubsequently, the Client device 110 receives the blocked access messageat block 222.

In the secure HTTPS transaction, the Client device 110 sends a secureHTTPS request using a SSL certificate for ‘youtube.com’ using thespoofed destination IP address, at block 224. The Filter Appliance 125determines whether or not the secure HTTPS transaction is filtered bythe Filter Appliance 125 at block 226. When the Filter Appliance 125determines that the secure HTTPS transaction is filtered by the FilterAppliance 125, the Filter Appliance 125 determines whether or not thesecure HTTPS client device request for ‘youtube.com’ is blocked foraccess by the Client device 110, at block 228. The blocked access isdetermined or not by the Filter Appliance 125 by searching a database orother list of blocked domains for an indication or representation thatthe domain ‘youtube.com’ is blocked for access by the Client device 110.When the Filter Appliance 125 determines that the secure HTTPS clientdevice request for access to domain youtube.com’ is blocked at 228, theFilter Appliance 125 sends a blocked access message to the client device110 at block 220, and subsequently, the Client device 110 receives theblocked access message at block 222. HTTPS is defined in RFC 2818published in May 2000 by the Internet Engineering Task Force at doAssociation Management Solutions, LLC (AMS), 48377 Fremont Blvd., Suite117, Fremont, Calif. 94538.

When the Filter Appliance 125 determines that the secure HTTPS clientdevice request for access to domain youtube.com’ is not blocked at block228, the Filter Appliance 125 sends to the Relay Server 135 the secureHTTPS client device request for ‘youtube.com’ using the spoofeddestination IP address, at block 230. Thereafter, the Relay Server 135receives the secure HTTPS client device request for ‘youtube.com’ usingthe spoofed destination IP address and the Relay Server 135 determineswhether or not the Relay Server 135 forwards secure HTTPS traffic, atblock 232. When the Relay Server 135 determines that the Relay Server135 forwards secure HTTPS traffic, method 300 in FIG. 3-4 is performedat block 218. When the Relay Server 135 determines that the Relay Server135 does not forward secure HTTPS traffic, the Relay Server 135 dropsthe secure HTTPS client device request for ‘youtube.com’ using thespoofed destination IP address at block 234.

FIG. 3-4 is a flowchart of a method 300 that manages access to a networkdomain that cannot be uniquely identified by replacing the networkdomain that cannot be uniquely identified with an identity than can beuniquely identified, according to an implementation.

Method 300 includes the Filter Appliance 125 sending to the Relay Server135 the HTTP/HTTPS client request for youtube.com using the spoofeddestination IP address, at block 302. In one implementation, theHTTP/HTTPS client request for youtube.com is either the nonsecure HTTPtransaction referenced in items 214-222 in method 200 in FIG. 2. Inanother implementation, the HTTP/HTTPS client request for youtube.com isthe secure HTTPS transaction in items 224-234 in method 200 in FIG. 2.

Thereafter, method 300 includes the Relay Server 135 receiving theHTTP/HTTPS client request for youtube.com that includes the spoofeddestination IP address, at block 304. Each packet in the HTTP/HTTPSclient request includes a client source IP address, a spoofeddestination IP address, a client source TCP port, a client destinationTCP port and a youtube.com IP address. The method includes the RelayServer 135 creating a session that associates the client device 110 tothe HTTP/HTTPS client request for youtube.com that includes the spoofeddestination IP address, at block 306.

In an important action of method 300, the Relay Server 135 changes orreplaces the destination address from the spoofed destination IP addressto the DNS mapped IP address, for each packet in the HTTP/HTTPS clientrequest for youtube.com, at block 308. Block 308 modifies the HTTP/HTTPSclient request for youtube.com.

In another important action of method 300, the Relay Server 135 changessource IP address from the client IP address to the Relay Server 135 IPaddress, for each packet in the HTTP/HTTPS client request foryoutube.com, at block 310. Block 308 modifies the HTTP/HTTPS clientrequest for youtube.com.

Thereafter, method 300 includes the Relay Server 135 sending to theDomain Server 145 each packet in the modified HTTP/HTTPS client requestfor youtube.com, at block 312.

Method 300 also includes the Domain Server 145 receiving from the RelayServer 135 each packet in the modified HTTP/HTTPS client request foryoutube.com, at block 314. The Domain Server 135 generates a response tothe modified HTTP/HTTPS client request for youtube.com.

Thereafter, the Domain Server 145 sends to the Relay Server 135 thegenerated response to the modified HTTP/HTTPS client request foryoutube.com, at block 316.

Thereafter, the Relay Server 135 receives the response to the modifiedHTTP/HTTPS client request for youtube.com, at block 320, and the RelayServer 135 associates the response to client device 110 in reference tothe session, at block 322. The Relay Server 135 changes the destinationaddress from the relay IP address to the spoofed destination IP addressin the response, at block 324 and the Relay Server 135 changes thesource IP address from the DNS mapped IP address to the client IPaddress in the response, at block 326.

Thereafter, the Relay Server 135 sends to the client the modifiedresponse, at block 328.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram 500 of a technique to resolve domain namesthat cannot be uniquely identified to the extent that traffic associatedwith the domain can be filtered for a particular user device, accordingto an implementation.

In FIG. 5, a client device or other user device 110 (e.g. the electronicdevice 110 in FIG. 1, the computer 602 in FIG. 6 or the mobile device700 in FIG. 7) a domain name system (DNS) query for an Internet domainthat cannot be uniquely identified. A DNS Query 112 is a request for theIP address of an Internet domain. The Internet domain cannot be uniquelyidentified because the Internet domain has at least one IP address thatis shared with another Internet domain and the Internet domain has a SSLcertificate that is shared with another Internet domain. For example,the domain mail.google.com cannot be uniquely identified becausemail.google.com and www.youtube.com share a number of IP addresses inthe range of 74.125.20.1-74.125.20.3 and mail.google.com andwww.youtube.com share an SSL certificate having a domain name of‘.google.com’. The DNS Query 112 is defined in RFC 1035 published inNovember 1987 by the Internet Engineering Task Force at do AssociationManagement Solutions, LLC (AMS), 48377 Fremont Blvd., Suite 117,Fremont, Calif. 94538.

The Filter Appliance 125 provides a unique identity of the Internetdomain by remapping the network domain to an IP address that isdifferent than the assigned IP address of the network domain, at 504. Insome implementations, the IP address that is different than the publiclyknown IP address of the network domain is outside the local subnet ofthe user device 110. In some embodiments, the IP address that isdifferent than the publicly known IP address of the network domain is anon-local controlled IP address. The non-local controlled IP addresscomprises an IP address that is non-local to the user device 110. Forexample, the Filter Appliance 125 responds to the DNS Query 112, at 502by providing an IP address of the Relay Server 135 such as 212.33.45.10to the user device 110. The Relay Server 135 can be located anywhere inthe system, such as connected to the Internet, located in the FilterAppliance 125 or located on the local subnet as the user device 110. Oneexample of the non-local controlled IP address is the spoofed IP addressdisclosed in method 200 in FIG. 2 and method 300 in FIG. 3-4.

The user device 110 receives the non-local controlled IP address, at 506and associates the non-local controlled IP address with the domain, at508. For example, the user device 110 receives the 212.33.45.10 IPaddress, at 506 and associates the IP address 212.33.45.10 with thedomain ‘mail.google.com’. Thereafter, the user device 110 transmits theSSL Request 127 that includes the non-local controlled IP address, at510. For example, the user device 110 transmits a SSL Request 127 thatincludes the 212.33.45.10 IP address.

The Filter Appliance 125 receives the SSL Request 127 that includes thenon-local controlled IP address and compares the 212.33.45.10 IP addressto a database of blocked IP addresses for the user device 110. If the212.33.45.10 IP address is not blocked for the user 110, the filteringdevice 125 transmits the SSL Request 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10IP address to the Relay Server 135. For example, Filter Appliance 125receives the SSL Request 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10 IP addressand compares the 212.33.45.10 IP address to a database of blocked IPaddresses for the user device 110. If the 212.33.45.10 IP address is notblocked for the user 110, the filtering device 125 transmits the SSLRequest 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10 IP address to the RelayServer 135.

The Relay Server 135 receives the SSL Request 127 that includes thenon-local controlled IP address, at 514 and passes the SSL Request 127that includes the non-local controlled IP address to the domain server150, at 516. For example, the Relay Server 135 receives the SSL Request127 that includes the 212.33.45.10 IP address, at 514 and passes the SSLRequest 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10 IP address to the domainserver 150, at 516.

The domain server 150 receives the SSL Request 127 that includes thenon-local controlled IP address, at 518 and responds to the SSL Request127 that includes the non-local controlled IP address, at 520. Forexample, the domain server 150 receives the SSL Request 127 thatincludes the 212.33.45.10 IP address, at 518 and responds to the SSLRequest 127 that includes the 212.33.45.10 IP address, at 520.

The Relay Server 135 receives the SSL Request that includes thenon-local controlled IP address, changes the non-local controlled IPaddress in the SSL Request to a public IP address of the domain, andpasses the SSL Request 138 that includes the public IP address of thedomain server 140 to the domain server 150. For example, the RelayServer 135 receives the SSL Request that includes the 212.33.45.10 IPaddress and passes the SSL Request that includes IP address 74.125.20.1to the domain server 150.

The domain server 150 receives the SSL Request 138 that includes publicIP address of the domain server 140 and responds to the SSL Request. Forexample, the domain server 150 receives the SSL Request that includesthe 74.125.20.1 IP address and responds to the SSL Request address. TheResponse 155 by the Domain Server 150 has a Source IP address of thepublic IP address of the domain server, such as 74.125.20.1.

The Relay Server 135 receives the response 155 and replaces the SourceIP address in the response from the Domain Server 150 IP address such as74.125.20.1, to the IP address that is different than the publicly knownIP address of the Internet network domain, such as 212.33.45.10 andpasses the modified Response to the user device 110 through the Firewall130, the Filter Appliance 125 and the Switch 115.

The user device 110 receives the response, at 526.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a general computer environment 600useful in the context of the environment of electronic device 102,according to an implementation. The general computer environment 600includes a computation resource 602 capable of implementing theprocesses described herein. It will be appreciated that other devicescan alternatively used that include more components, or fewercomponents, than the components illustrated in FIG. 6.

The illustrated operating environment 600 is only one example of asuitable operating environment, and the example described with referenceto FIG. 6 is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope ofuse or functionality of the implementations of this disclosure. Otherwell-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations can besuitable for implementation and/or application of the subject matterdisclosed herein.

The computation resource 602 includes one or more processors orprocessing units 604, a system memory 606, and a bus 608 that couplesvarious system components including the system memory 606 toprocessor(s) 604 and other elements in the environment 600. The bus 608represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures, and can be compatible with SCSI (smallcomputer system interconnect), or other conventional bus architecturesand protocols.

The system memory 606 includes nonvolatile read-only memory (ROM) 610and random access memory (RAM) 612, which can or can not includevolatile memory elements. A basic input/output system (BIOS) 614,containing the elementary routines that help to transfer informationbetween elements within computation resource 602 and with externalitems, typically invoked into operating memory during start-up, isstored in ROM 610.

The computation resource 602 further can include a non-volatileread/write memory 616, represented in FIG. 6 as a hard disk drive,coupled to bus 608 via a data media interface 617 (e.g., a SCSI, ATA, orother type of interface); a magnetic disk drive (not shown) for readingfrom, and/or writing to, a removable magnetic disk 620 and an opticaldisk drive (not shown) for reading from, and/or writing to, a removableoptical disk 626 such as a CD, DVD, or other optical media.

The non-volatile read/write memory 616 and associated computer-readablemedia provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules and other data for the computationresource 602. Although the exemplary environment 600 is described hereinas employing a non-volatile read/write memory 616, a removable magneticdisk 620 and a removable optical disk 626, other types ofcomputer-readable media which can store data that is accessible by acomputer, such as magnetic cassettes, FLASH memory cards, random accessmemories (RAMs), read only memories (ROM), and the like, can also beused in the exemplary operating environment.

A number of program modules can be stored via the non-volatileread/write memory 616, magnetic disk 620, optical disk 626, ROM 610, orRAM 612, including an operating system 630, one or more applicationprograms 632, other program modules 634 and program data 636. Examplesof computer operating systems conventionally employed for some types ofthree-dimensional and/or two-dimensional medical image data include theNUCLEUS® operating system, the LINUX® operating system, and others, forexample, providing capability for supporting application programs 632using, for example, code modules written in the C++® computerprogramming language.

A user can enter commands and information into computation resource 602through input devices such as input media 638 (e.g., keyboard/keypad,tactile input or pointing device, mouse, foot-operated switchingapparatus, joystick, touchscreen or touchpad, microphone, antenna etc.).Such input devices 638 are coupled to the processing unit 604 through aconventional input/output interface 642 that is, in turn, coupled to thesystem bus. A monitor 650 or other type of display device is alsocoupled to the system bus 608 via an interface, such as a video adapter652.

The computation resource 602 can include capability for operating in anetworked environment (as illustrated in FIG. 1, for example) usinglogical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remotecomputer 660. The remote computer 660 can be a personal computer, aserver, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common networknode, and typically includes many or all of the elements described aboverelative to the computation resource 602. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computation resource 602, orportions thereof, can be stored in a remote memory storage device suchas can be associated with the remote computer 660. By way of example,remote application programs 662 reside on a memory device of the remotecomputer 660. The logical connections represented in FIG. 6 can includeinterface capabilities, e.g., such as interface capabilities 652(FIG. 1) a storage area network (SAN, not illustrated in FIG. 6), localarea network (LAN) 672 and/or a wide area network (WAN) 674, but canalso include other networks.

Such networking environments are commonplace in modern computer systems,and in association with intranets and the Internet. In certainimplementations, the computation resource 602 executes an Internet Webbrowser program (which can optionally be integrated into the operatingsystem 630), such as the “Internet Explorer®” Web browser manufacturedand distributed by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.

When used in a LAN-coupled environment, the computation resource 602communicates with or through the local area network 672 via a networkinterface or adapter 676. When used in a WAN-coupled environment, thecomputation resource 602 typically includes interfaces, such as a modem678, or other apparatus, for establishing communications with or throughthe WAN 674, such as the Internet. The modem 678, which can be internalor external, is coupled to the system bus 608 via a serial portinterface.

In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to thecomputation resource 602, or portions thereof, can be stored in remotememory apparatus. It will be appreciated that the network connectionsshown are exemplary, and other means of establishing a communicationslink between various computer systems and elements can be used.

A user of a computer can operate in a networked environment 600 usinglogical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remotecomputer 660, which can be a personal computer, a server, a router, anetwork PC, a peer device or other common network node. Typically, aremote computer 660 includes many or all of the elements described aboverelative to the computer 600 of FIG. 6.

The computation resource 602 typically includes at least some form ofcomputer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any availablemedia that can be accessed by the computation resource 602. By way ofexample, and not limitation, computer-readable media can comprisecomputer storage media and communication media.

Computer storage media include volatile and nonvolatile, removable andnon-removable media, implemented in any method or technology for storageof information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data. The term “computer storage media”includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory or othermemory technology, CD, DVD, or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other media which can be used to storecomputer-intelligible information and which can be accessed by thecomputation resource 602.

Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules.

By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wiredmedia, such as wired network or direct-wired connections, and wirelessmedia, such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Thescope of the term computer-readable media includes combinations of anyof the above.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a mobile device 700, according to animplementation. The mobile device 700 is a two-way communication devicewith advanced data communication capabilities including the capabilityto communicate with other mobile devices or computer systems through anetwork of transceiver stations. The mobile device may also have thecapability to allow voice communication. Depending on the functionalityprovided by the mobile device, it may be referred to as a data messagingdevice, a two-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messagingcapabilities, a wireless Internet appliance, or a data communicationdevice (with or without telephony capabilities).

Mobile device is one implementation of monitored computer 42 in FIG. 1or 46 recording-source-computer 46 in FIG. 2. The mobile device 700includes a number of components such as a main processor 702 thatcontrols the overall operation of the mobile device 700. Communicationfunctions, including data and voice communications, are performedthrough a communication subsystem 704. The communication subsystem 704receives messages from and sends messages to wireless networks 705. Thewireless networks 705 include the Wi-Fi access point 104 and the LTEnetwork 112 in FIG. 1. In other implementations of the mobile device700, the communication subsystem 704 can be configured in accordancewith the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General PacketRadio Services (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), UniversalMobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), data-centric wirelessnetworks, voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks thatcan support both voice and data communications over the same physicalbase stations. Combined dual-mode networks include, but are not limitedto, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRSnetworks (as mentioned above), and future third-generation (3G) networkslike EDGE and UMTS. Some other examples of data-centric networks includeWi-Fi 802.11, Mobitex™ and DataTAC™ network communication systems.Examples of other voice-centric data networks include PersonalCommunication Systems (PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division MultipleAccess (TDMA) systems.

The wireless link connecting the communication subsystem 704 with thewireless network 705 represents one or more different Radio Frequency(RF) channels. With newer network protocols, the RF channels are capableof supporting both circuit switched voice communications and packetswitched data communications.

The main processor 702 also interacts with additional subsystems such asa Random Access Memory (RAM) 706, a flash memory 708, a display 710, anauxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 712, a data port 714, a keyboard716, a speaker 718, a microphone 720, short-range communications 722 andother device subsystems 724. The flash memory 708 includes a stack 709.

Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 700 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, the display 710and the keyboard 716 may be used for both communication-relatedfunctions, such as entering a text message for transmission over thewireless network 705, and device-resident functions such as a calculatoror task list.

The mobile device 700 can send and receive communication signals overthe wireless network 705 after required network registration oractivation procedures have been completed. Network access is associatedwith a subscriber or user of the mobile device 700. To identify asubscriber, the mobile device 700 requires a SIM/RUIM card 726 (i.e.Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User Identity Module) to beinserted into a SIM/RUIM interface 728 in order to communicate with anetwork. The SIM card or RUIM 726 is one type of a conventional “smartcard” that can be used to identify a subscriber of the mobile device 700and to personalize the mobile device 700, among other things. Withoutthe SIM card 726, the mobile device 700 is not fully operational forcommunication with the wireless network 705. By inserting the SIMcard/RUIM 726 into the SIM/RUIM interface 728, a subscriber can accessall subscribed services. Services may include: web browsing andmessaging such as e-mail, voice mail, Short Message Service (SMS), andMultimedia Messaging Services (MMS). More advanced services may include:point of sale, field service and sales force automation. The SIMcard/RUIM 726 includes a processor and memory for storing information.Once the SIM card/RUIM 726 is inserted into the SIM/RUIM interface 728,it is coupled to the main processor 702. In order to identify thesubscriber, the SIM card/RUIM 726 can include some user parameters suchas an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage ofusing the SIM card/RUIM 726 is that a subscriber is not necessarilybound by any single physical mobile device. The SIM card/RUIM 726 maystore additional subscriber information for a mobile device as well,including datebook (or calendar) information and recent callinformation. Alternatively, user identification information can also beprogrammed into the flash memory 708.

The mobile device 700 is a battery-powered device and includes a batteryinterface 732 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 730. Inone or more implementations, the battery 730 can be a smart battery withan embedded microprocessor. The battery interface 732 is coupled to aregulator 733, which assists the battery 730 in providing power V+ tothe mobile device 700. Although current technology makes use of abattery, future technologies such as micro fuel cells may provide thepower to the mobile device 700.

The mobile device 700 also includes an operating system 734 and softwarecomponents 736 to 746 which are described in more detail below. Theoperating system 734 and the software components 736 to 746 that areexecuted by the main processor 702 are typically stored in a persistentstore such as the flash memory 708, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Portionsof the operating system 734 and the software components 736 to 746, suchas specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarilyloaded into a volatile store such as the RAM 706. Other softwarecomponents can also be included.

The subset of software applications 736 that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications, willnormally be installed on the mobile device 700 during its manufacture.Other software applications include a message application 738 that canbe any suitable software program that allows a user of the mobile device700 to send and receive electronic messages. Various alternatives existfor the message application 738. Messages that have been sent orreceived by the user are typically stored in the flash memory 708 of themobile device 700 or some other suitable storage element in the mobiledevice 700. In one or more implementations, some of the sent andreceived messages may be stored remotely from the device 700 such as ina data store of an associated host system with which the mobile device700 communicates.

The software applications can further include a device state module 740,a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 742, and other suitable modules(not shown). The device state module 740 provides persistence, i.e. thedevice state module 740 ensures that important device data is stored inpersistent memory, such as the flash memory 708, so that the data is notlost when the mobile device 700 is turned off or loses power.

The PIM 742 includes functionality for organizing and managing dataitems of interest to the user, such as, but not limited to, e-mail,contacts, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. APIM application has the ability to send and receive data items via thewireless network 705. PIM data items may be seamlessly integrated,synchronized, and updated via the wireless network 705 with the mobiledevice subscriber's corresponding data items stored and/or associatedwith a host computer system. The PIM 742 can create a mirrored hostcomputer on the mobile device 700 with respect to such items. Themirrored host computer on the mobile device 700 can be particularlyhelpful when the host computer system is the mobile device subscriber'soffice computer system.

The mobile device 700 also includes a connect module 744, and an ITpolicy module 746. The connect module 744 implements the communicationprotocols that are required for the mobile device 700 to communicatewith the wireless infrastructure and any host system, such as anenterprise system, with which the mobile device 700 is authorized tointerface.

The connect module 744 includes a set of APIs that can be integratedwith the mobile device 700 to allow the mobile device 700 to use anynumber of services associated with the enterprise system. The connectmodule 744 allows the mobile device 700 to establish an end-to-endsecure, authenticated communication pipe with the host system. A subsetof applications for which access is provided by the connect module 744can be used to pass IT policy commands from the host system to themobile device 700. Passing IT policy commands from the host system tothe mobile device 700 can be done in a wireless or wired manner. The ITpolicy commands can then be passed to the IT policy module 746 to modifythe configuration of the device 700. Alternatively, in some cases, theIT policy update can also be done over a wired connection.

The IT policy module 746 receives IT policy data that encodes the ITpolicy. The IT policy module 746 then ensures that the IT policy data isauthenticated by the mobile device 700. The IT policy data can then bestored in the flash memory 706 in its native form. After the IT policydata is stored, a global notification can be sent by the IT policymodule 746 to all of the applications residing on the mobile device 700.Applications for which the IT policy may be applicable then respond byreading the IT policy data to look for IT policy rules that areapplicable.

The IT policy module 746 can include a parser 747, which can be used bythe applications to read the IT policy rules. In some cases, anothermodule or application can provide the parser. Grouped IT policy rules,described in more detail below, are retrieved as byte streams, which arethen sent (recursively) into the parser to determine the values of eachIT policy rule defined within the grouped IT policy rule. In one or moreimplementations, the IT policy module 746 can determine whichapplications are affected by the IT policy data and the IT policy module746 can send a notification to only the applications that are affectedby the IT policy data. In either of these cases, for applications thatare not being executed by the main processor 702 at the time of thenotification, the applications can call the parser or the IT policymodule 746 when the applications are executed to determine if there areany relevant IT policy rules in the newly received IT policy data.

All applications that support rules in the IT Policy are coded to knowthe type of data to expect. For example, the value that is set for the“WEP User Name” IT policy rule is known to be a string; therefore thevalue in the IT policy data that corresponds to the “WEP User Name” ITpolicy rule is interpreted as a string. As another example, the settingfor the “Set Maximum Password Attempts” IT policy rule is known to be aninteger, and therefore the value in the IT policy data that correspondsto the “Set Maximum Password Attempts” IT policy rule is interpreted asan integer.

After the IT policy rules have been applied to the applicableapplications or configuration files, the IT policy module 746 sends anacknowledgement back to the host system to indicate that the IT policydata was received and successfully applied.

Other types of software applications can also be installed on the mobiledevice 700, which can be third party applications that are added afterthe manufacture of the mobile device 700. Examples of third partyapplications include games, calculators, utilities, etc.

The additional applications can be loaded onto the mobile device 700through at least one of the wireless network 705, the auxiliary I/Osubsystem 712, the data port 714, the short-range communicationssubsystem 722, or any other suitable device subsystem 724. Theflexibility in application installation increases the functionality ofthe mobile device 700 and may provide enhanced on-device functions,communication-related functions, or both. For example, securecommunication applications may enable electronic commerce functions andother such financial transactions to be performed using the mobiledevice 700.

The data port 714 enables a subscriber to set preferences through anexternal device or software application and extends the capabilities ofthe mobile device 700 by providing for information or software downloadsto the mobile device 700 other than through a wireless communicationnetwork. The alternate download path may, for example, be used to loadan encryption key onto the mobile device 700 through a direct and thusreliable and trusted connection to provide secure device communication.

The data port 714 can be any suitable port that enables datacommunication between the mobile device 700 and another computingdevice. The data port 714 can be a serial or a parallel port. In someinstances, the data port 714 can be a USB port that includes data linesfor data transfer and a supply line that can provide a charging currentto charge the battery 730 of the mobile device 700.

The short-range communications subsystem 722 provides for communicationbetween the mobile device 700 and different systems or devices, withoutthe use of the wireless network 705. For example, the subsystem 722 mayinclude an infrared device and associated circuits and components forshort-range communication. Examples of short-range communicationstandards include standards developed by the Infrared Data Association(IrDA), Bluetooth, and the 802.11 family of standards developed by IEEE.

In use, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, orweb page download will be processed by the communication subsystem 704and input to the main processor 702. The main processor 702 will thenprocess the received signal for output to the display 710 oralternatively to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 712. A subscriber may alsocompose data items, such as e-mail messages, for example, using thekeyboard 716 in conjunction with the display 710 and possibly theauxiliary I/O subsystem 712. The auxiliary subsystem 712 may includedevices such as: a touch screen, mouse, track ball, infrared fingerprintdetector, or a roller wheel with dynamic button pressing capability. Thekeyboard 716 is preferably an alphanumeric keyboard and/ortelephone-type keypad. However, other types of keyboards may also beused. A composed item may be transmitted over the wireless network 705through the communication subsystem 704.

For voice communications, the overall operation of the mobile device 700is substantially similar, except that the received signals are output tothe speaker 718, and signals for transmission are generated by themicrophone 720. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, can also be implemented on the mobiledevice 700. Although voice or audio signal output is accomplishedprimarily through the speaker 718, the display 710 can also be used toprovide additional information such as the identity of a calling party,duration of a voice call, or other voice call related information.

Apparatus components of FIGS. 1 and 6-7 can be embodied as computerhardware circuitry or as a computer-readable program, or a combinationof both. In another implementation, the recording apparatus isimplemented in an application service provider (ASP) system.

More specifically, in the computer-readable program implementation, theprograms can be structured in an object-orientation using anobject-oriented language such as Java, Smalltalk or C++, and theprograms can be structured in a procedural-orientation using aprocedural language such as COBOL or C. The software componentscommunicate in any of a number of means that are well-known to thoseskilled in the art, such as application program interfaces (API) orinterprocess communication techniques such as remote procedure call(RPC), common object request broker architecture (CORBA), ComponentObject Model (COM), Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM),Distributed System Object Model (DSOM) and Remote Method Invocation(RMI). The components execute on as few as one computer as in generalcomputer environment 600 in FIG. 6, or on at least as many computers asthere are components.

CONCLUSION

A system that filters content of ambiguous domain is described. Atechnical effect of the system is replacement in packets of thedestination IP address with a uniquely identifiable IP address on alocal subnet. Although specific implementations have been illustratedand described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skillin the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the samepurpose can be substituted for the specific implementations shown. Thisdisclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations. Forexample, although described in procedural terms, one of ordinary skillin the art will appreciate that implementations can be made in anobject-oriented design environment or any other design environment thatprovides the required relationships.

In particular, one of skill in the art will readily appreciate that thenames of the methods and apparatus are not intended to limitimplementations. Furthermore, additional methods and apparatus can beadded to the components, functions can be rearranged among thecomponents, and new components to correspond to future enhancements andphysical devices used in implementations can be introduced withoutdeparting from the scope of implementations. One of skill in the artwill readily recognize that implementations are applicable to futurecommunication devices, different file systems, and new data types.

The terminology used in this disclosure is meant to include allfiltering policies, filtering appliances and network environments andalternate technologies which provide the same functionality as describedherein.

1. A method of a filter appliance comprising: receiving a communicationfrom an electronic device, the communication including a reference to anetwork domain that cannot be uniquely identified; and remapping thenetwork domain to an IP address having a unique identity of the networkdomain, wherein the IP address is not a publicly known IP address of thenetwork domain.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:receiving a second communication from the electronic device, the secondcommunication including the IP address that has the unique identity ofthe network domain; and forwarding the second communication.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the IP address of the communication furthercomprises: a destination IP address.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe network domain that cannot be uniquely identified further comprises:the network domain is associated with an IP address that is shared withanother network domain; and the network domain is associated with a SSLcertificate that is shared with another network domain.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the IP address that is shared with another networkdomain further comprises: the IP address being identical to at least oneIP address of the other network domain.
 6. The method of claim 4,wherein the network domain shares the SSL certificate with the othernetwork domain further comprises: the SSL certificate of the networkdomain includes a wildcard character in a specification of a name of thenetwork domain.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the network domainshares the SSL certificate with the other network domain furthercomprises: the SSL certificate of the network domain includes a wildcardcharacter in a specification of a name of the network domain.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the IP address having the unique identity ofthe network domain further comprises: an IP address of a Relay Server.9. A method of an apparatus comprising: receiving from a client device aDNS Query for an Internet domain name that cannot be uniquelyidentified; determining whether or not Internet domain name isdesignated as a remapped domain name; sending to the client device aspoofed destination IP address in response to the DNS Query; receivingfrom the client device a nonsecure HTTP request transaction using thespoofed destination IP address; determining whether or not the nonsecureHTTP request is blocked for access by the client device; managing accessto the Internet domain name that cannot be uniquely identified byreplacing the destination IP address of the nonsecure HTTP request withan IP address than can be uniquely identified, when the nonsecure HTTPrequest for access to the Internet domain name is not blocked; sending ablocked access message to the client device, when the nonsecure HTTPrequest for access to the Internet domain name is blocked.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the Internet domain name that cannot beuniquely identified further comprises: the Internet domain name havingambiguity.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the Internet domain namethat cannot be uniquely identified further comprises: the Internetdomain name being mapped by an external DNS server to at least one IPaddress that is shared with another Internet domain the external DNSserver; and the Internet domain name having a SSL certificate that isshared with another domain.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein thespoofed destination IP address further comprises: the IP address beingassociated with a Relay Server.
 13. The method of claim 9, whereinmanaging access to the Internet domain name further comprises:forwarding the nonsecure HTTP request to the spoofed destination IPaddress.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining whether ornot the nonsecure HTTP request is blocked for access by the clientdevice further comprises: searching a list of blocked domains for anindication that the Internet domain name is blocked for access by theclient device.
 15. A method of managing access to an Internet domainname that cannot be uniquely identified by an apparatus, the methodcomprising: receiving a nonsecure HTTP request of a client device, theHTTP request having a spoofed destination IP address and a source IPaddress; creating a session that associates the client device to theHTTP request; changing the destination address in the HTTP request to aDNS mapped IP address of the Internet domain name, for each packet inthe HTTP request, yielding a changed HTTP request; changing the sourceIP address in the HTTP request from a client IP address to an IP addressof a Relay Server, for each packet in the HTTP request, yielding thechanged HTTP request; sending to a domain server that is associated withthe Internet domain name, each packet in the changed HTTP request;receiving from the domain server a response to the changed HTTP request;associating the response to client device in reference to the session,the response having a destination IP address and source IP address;changing the destination IP address in the response to the spoofeddestination IP address, yielding a changed response; changing the sourceIP address in the response to the client IP address, yielding thechanged response; and forwarding the changed response to the clientdevice.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein HTTP request furthercomprises: a nonsecure HTTP request.
 17. The method of claim 15, whereinHTTP request further comprises: a secure HTTPS request.
 18. Ahardware-based web filter appliance that prevents communication by aclient device to a domain that cannot be uniquely identified, thehardware-based web filter appliance comprising: a first component thatis operable to relocate a DNS mapping of the domain of a packet to adestination IP Address; and a second component that is operable toforward the packet, wherein the destination IP address is uniquelyidentifiable, wherein the destination IP address represents a locationof another apparatus that provides a data path to the domain.